Amortentia
by Wishing-for-a-Wand
Summary: Nymphadora Tonks the clumsiest girl at Hogwarts, her best mate Charlie Weasley who may or may not already have a crush on her, and the world's strongest love potion.  Should be fun.
1. Chapter 1

Today was the day. Charlie Weasley was sixteen and going to ask his longtime crush and best friend to a date in Hogsmeade. It was a Friday, and the outing was scheduled for the next day. Short notice, but he didn't want to give her too long to think about it, afraid she would come up with an excuse.

Charlie chided himself for being paranoid. It wasn't like they had never been to Hogsmeade before. They went every chance they got, usually to frequent Zonko's Joke Shop or drool over HoneyDukes chocolate. Usually together too, as friends. Except when she had a date, or when she tried to give him one. Charlie shuddered. Whenever Tonks tried to send Charlie on a date, disaster ensued immediately thereafter. The girls she chose (or bribed) to go out with him were hardly ever the ones he would have chosen. Which is to say, they weren't her.

Tonks had dates more frequently than Charlie, but her relationships never lasted long. She would moon over a boy for weeks, declaring him to be absolutely perfect. She would do her best to impress him, using her Metamorphageous abilities to their fullest and trying to catch his eye. Undoubtably, the boy would notice, because people always noticed Tonks when she wanted them to. He would ask her out, and she would, of course, say yes. They would go on a few dates, and appear to be quite happy. Tonks would spend her free time professing her newfound love to Charlie, and he would try to restrain himself from pounding the object of her affections on the Quidditch pitch. After those few dates, though, Tonks would go back to her normal self. The one with the spiky pink hair and Weird Sisters t-shirts. Her new boyfriend was never impressed and the relationship would be over as soon as she went back to being a 'freak'. Charlie would then stop suppressing his fury during Quidditch.

And Charlie would be there for her to cry on his shoulder. Always there. He had long ago resolved that he would never make her cry. Provided that she ever saw him as more than a shoulder to cry on.

He knew that after her last break up nearly two weeks ago, she wouldn't yet have found a new date to Hogsmeade, and it was a little late for her to find him a girl to go with. However, he wouldn't put it past her. Tonks was known for her spontaneity.

This trip to the village would be different from their previous ones together, because if she said yes, they would go as more than friends. Sometime today, he would ask her. He would ask Nymphadora Tonks to go to Hogsmeade with him. Charlie was, understandably, nervous. He had waited, mustering his courage and planning his timing, for what seemed like ages. They had been best friends since first year, but he knew now that he wanted to be more.

Charlie gathered his books for Potions class and frowned in the mirror at his freckles. Weasley trait or not, he didn't much care for them. Sighing, he wished for his older brother's looks. Bill was considered one of the best looking wizards at school. With his long red auburn hair and dark brown eyes, he had always been regarded as a heartthrob, even if he did have freckles. Charlie's hair was a carroty red, his eyes were a light blue, and he didn't bear his freckles with as much dignity as his brother. The only thing he had going for him was his Quidditch skills. He had become Gryffindor's seeker in his second year, and had finally earned a name for himself as something other than Bill Weasley's brother.

Well, good looks or not, he hoped she would say yes to a date. Charlie had never had much luck with girls, and he hadn't much cared. Tonks (she would kill him if he even thought Nymphadora) was the only girl he would want to impress, and she seemed to like him already, even if it was only as a friend.

Raking a hand through his hair and trying to flatten a wayward cowlick, he hurried out of the common room to go meet Tonks on the way to Potions. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were together in that class and it was one of Charlie's favorite times of day. He despised potions, and he loathed Professor Snape, but it was a class with Tonks and that made it worth it.

"Wotcher, Weasley." Charlie grinned at the familiar greeting. It was standard Tonks. She insisted on using his last name, figuring if she liked hers better he must too. She'd been doing that since about third year, but sometimes he wished she would just call him Charlie.

The greeting was followed by an equalling familiar crash. The fact that she was standing on level ground and not moving meant nothing. Not for Tonks. The girl was quite capable of tripping over air. Charlie spun around, but wasn't in time to prevent her fall. He ignored the girls snickering behind him and offered his hand to the fallen witch. She was already onto her knees, so she brushed away his hand. She never stayed on the ground for long, even if she ended up there frequently. Upon standing, however, she stumbled again and grabbed his arm for balance.

Then she smiled at him, and he couldn't help but grin back. "Ready for Potions?" he asked.

Her smile disappeared. "Yeah, Potions, love it." She pulled a face, and as if finding inspiration, she morphed her features to model Snape's. She dropped her voice an octave and drew out her words in a good imitation of their professor. "Miss Tonks, you are a complete and utter failure. Your infernal clumsiness and lack of comprehension of potions puts the entire class at risk. If you spill that disaster on the floor I will have you polishing it in detention."

Charlie was always a little frightened when she did that. Her imitation was spot on. After sending an intimidating Snape glare his way, she changed back to her real face and grinned smugly. The snickering girls were now whispering and walking quickly in the opposite direction.

Charlie shook his head. "You had better not let Snape catch you doing that, or you'll be doing more than scrubbing floors."

Snape's detentions were always creative, if nothing else. He had once demanded that Charlie and Tonks retrieve a new supply of newt eyes after she had tripped into Charlie causing his freshly brewed project to spill all over their teacher. His robes had turned a most interesting shade of orange, and Charlie's face had turned an interesting shade of red. It was detention for the two criminals and then Tonks had quipped in what she thought was a quiet voice that it was a 'good color on him, really brought out his eyes'. And a second detention had been added to their schedule. Charlie hardly thought he deserved the second one, but if it was time spent with Tonks, then he wouldn't complain too loudly. But the newt eye retrieval had certainly been his worst detention to date.

Tonks shrugged easily. "That's why I don't plan to let him catch me. Come on, wouldn't want to be late." She grabbed his arm and pulled him into movement, but she let go far too soon for his taste.


	2. Chapter 2

The dungeon was as welcoming as ever. Dark and dreary, full of rats and Slytherins. Even without the Potions Master it was foreboding, and his presence made it oppressive. Since Snape wasn't yet there, Charlie assumed that they weren't late. He let out a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was a detention to spoil his Hogsmeade weekend.

Tonks, too, looked relieved to see the dungeon devoid of Snape. Something she would never admit to aloud. The rest of the class had already gathered, including the snickering/whispering girls from the hall. On the professor's desk sat three bubbling caldrons, each containing a different colored brew. One tiny vial held a shimmering golden substance that glistened in what little light reached the dungeon. One dark brown mix gurgled angrily, and the third, a light pink compound, boiled flirtatiously.

The class mused quietly about the intent of the potions until their teacher entered in a flourish of cape. Silence reigned immediately.

"Today we will be reviewing three of the most adverse potions made in an Advanced Potions class. They also happen to be three of the most dangerous. Can anyone name these concoctions?"

A hand next to Charlie shot into the air nearly before Snape finished the question, and he heard Tonks snort on his other side. She may sound disgusted by her classmate's know-it-all ways, but he knew that she was always secretly impressed with her quick answers.

Snape glared at the girl before nodding, indicating she should answer. She was the only person with a raised hand.

"The first caldron contains Felix Felicies. The second Draught of Living Death, and the far right caldron holds," as she bent to examine it's contents she let out a gasp of surprise. Her eyes fled to her teacher in surprise. "Amortentia."

A fresh murmur swept through the room. Amortentia was one of the most powerful love potions in the wizarding world. Why in the name of Godric Gryffindor would Snape brew a love potion? He wasn't the most lovable bloke, but he seemed happy that way.

The other two potions were impressive as well. Felix Felicies was more commonly known as Liquid Luck, and for good reason. Draught of Living Death would kill any living object. Impressive, yes, but a love potion, dangerous?

Snape, as if sensing his class' doubts, smiled wickedly. "Three of the most dangerous," he repeated. "Pair off, open your books to page 217, and begin to brew your attempt at the Draught of Living Death. When you have succeeded," again his eyes caught a glimmer of light as if he found amusement in the thought of that impossible success, "bring your vial to me."

Charlie and Tonks exchanged a brief glance and smile then began gathering their supplies. It was their normal practice to partner in Potions. Ever since first year the two friends had stuck together. She had long since learned that mixing her latest crush and a Potions assignment fashioned a rather nasty situation. She was somewhat absent minded and clumsy at the best of times, and flirting didn't help. Even if the boys were to focused on her morphed features to notice, the Potions Master undoubtably did.

Draught of Living Death was a rather unsavory potion, including those newt eyes they had collected. Charlie couldn't look at them without shuddering, something he tried not to do in front of his teacher. They chopped and sent the beans flying. They poured and sloshed their fusion onto the desk. It was the hardest potion they had ever attempted, but it was still amazing that either of them had made it to Upper Level Potions.

After using the entire Double Potions session, they had concocted a passable mix. Charlie's robes and a part of his hair were covered in something slimy and green, which he sincerely hoped wasn't poisonous. Tonks had soot smearing the bridge of her nose, put there after one of their early attempts had burst in her face. Both were grinning.

Before giving their professor a vial of their product, they dropped a leaf into the caldron. They had opted to use Charlie's caldron because Tonks had dropped hers the week before and due to the minimal thickness of caldron bottoms it now had a large crack through it.

While the leaf didn't shrivel up and die, it did turn a nice dead shade of brown, though this might simply have been from the potion's coloring, or possibly it's smell. Shrugging, the partners filled a vial. Charlie carried it up to Snape's desk, another practice learned from experience. Tonks was liable to drop the vial before getting there or to spill it on their professor.

Snape glared reprovingly, though they had long ago reached the conclusion that it was his normal expression. Charlie carefully set the vial down with the rest of the class'. He let out an inaudible sigh of relief. They might actually get a passing grade on this one.

He was in the process of returning to his seat when Tonks came bounding up to meet him. "We forgot to put our names on our vial!" Charlie braced himself against his teacher's desk, preparing for the impact. Tonks, too, tried to stop the inevitable. She planted her feet, which only succeeded in tripping her. Charlie closed his eyes and waited for the collision. He heard the crack of Tonks against table and opened his eyes in time to see the far right caldron hurtling towards him. He saw it happen before it actually hit him. He only had time to thank Merlin it wasn't Draught of Living Death.


	3. Chapter 3

Tonks eyes widened in horror as the bubbling pink potion doused her partner. It managed to miss everyone in the room. Probably because they had run for their lives the moment they saw her coming. She heard the gasps followed by the snickers that seemed to follow her everywhere. At a loss of what to do, she reached for her wand to clean the sticky substance off him, but Snape beat her to it. With a flick of his robes and wand, Charlie was freed from the goo.

He stood with a dazed expression, looking unsure about what had just happened. He examined his clothes to see the pink stains removed. He looked up and his eyes met hers. His face split into a grin that was so Charlie, Tonks thought there had been no ill side effects of her mishap. She grinned back, glad he wasn't angry with her. But then Charlie was hardly ever angry at her. Not when she covered him with her lunch or pushed him down the stairs when tripping over her feet.

Tonks began to walk towards him, to ensure that he really was all right, but a hand on her arm held her back. She glanced down at the black clad sleeve of the professor grasping her. Automatically and brusquely, she wrenched her hand away. Snape glared at her.

"Stand back."

Tonks glared back, but turned her attention back to her friend. Snape thought there was something wrong, and that was cause for concern. Charlie looked all right. He was still smiling widely at her. The room was quiet again.

Charlie opened his mouth, and Tonks almost hoped to hear a jibe about her clumsiness. It would prove he was all right. He smiled again. "I love you."

Tonks strained to hear the words even though they were spoken loud and clear. He could not have just said that. Charlie didn't like anyone that she was aware of, and he would never choose potions as the moment to reveal that.

"You what?"

Charlie grinned in that way Tonks was beginning to recognize as not normal. "I love you."

That was really starting to scare her now. She glanced around her. The only people in front of Charlie were herself and Professor Snape. It was fairly obvious that Snape wasn't the object of his affections. She turned back to her friend and pointed a disbelieving finger at herself. "Me?"

Charlie continuing to smile, nodded. "Of course, you."

Her eyes got bigger and her mouth formed an 'O'. What had she spilled on him anyway? She whipped around to face her teacher. Snape was smiling grimly. His smile scared her just as much as Charlie's.

"Miss Tonks, it would seem that you have managed to upset an entire vat of Amortentia onto your lab partner, and he now sees you as the love of his life." These words were spoken with a thinly masked humor. This was just the sort of thing Snape would find amusing.

The class gasped as the situation sunk in. Tonks rolled her eyes. She had been evicting that response a lot today. And Charlie thought he was in love with her? She had a sudden urge to vanish a Boggart. Ridikulous!

Charlie had moved to her side now. He reached for her hand and whispered in her ear. "I love you."

Tonks reacted like she had to Snape. She yanked her hand away and stared at her partner. Charlie would be so embarrassed if he knew that he had declared his love for his best friend in the middle of Potions class.

She directed her gaze back at the Potions Master. "Can't you do something about him?"

He merely raised an eyebrow. "That was a very powerful potion, Miss Tonks. There is nothing I can do without an antidote. I'm afraid Mr. Weasley shall remain in a state of infatuation until you have completed your next potion."

Tonks imitated her professor by raising her own eyebrow. Her imitation might have been a little too accurate for Snape glared harder. "What do you mean by that?"

Snape smiled smugly. "I mean, your next assignment is to produce the antidote to Amortentia. I do suggest you hurry and have it ready for Mr. Weasley by the end of the day."

Tonks opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off. "Chapter 14 might prove useful." The bell that signaled an end to class sounded, and students began to make their way to other parts of the castle. The whispers started as soon as they reached the hallway, and Tonks knew it would be a long time before anyone forgot this brilliant episode of clumsiness.

The corners of Snape's mouth curved unnaturally upward. "Good luck, Nymphadora."

Tonks glared at her professor. In an exchange between any other teacher and student, the use of a first name would not have been such a big deal. But Tonks loathed her given name almost as much as she loathed Snape, and he in turn used it not to encourage, but to anger.

She spun quickly and drug her unfortunate partner with her as she marched out of the dungeon. Luckily, Potions had been their last class for the day, now all she needed was find a place to work, supplies for a love potion antidote, and for Charlie to cooperate.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're beautiful."

Tonks glanced back him with shock, confusion, and disgust. "You're mental."

Charlie just grinned. "You're brilliant."

Tonks couldn't help but smile, even as she pulled him along with her looking for an empty class room. "That might be slightly more true." She stopped outside a classroom and peeked her head in. Professor Flitwick was speaking to a group of first years and demonstrating the proper swish and flick motion of the wand. Shaking her head, Tonks scanned the hall for an empty rooms.

Charlie followed, a little too closely for her liking. "You're perfect."

Tonks couldn't resist the unladylike snort. "And you're mad."

That grin looked stuck to Charlie's face. And it was starting to annoy. He sighed, in a way she was sure her roommate did over her favorite Quidditch star. "Mad for you," he quipped.

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Weasley." The corridors were nearly empty now, she only hoped that one of the classrooms would be empty. None of the common rooms would work. She couldn't just drag Charlie into Hufflepuff with her, and she doubted he even remembered the password for Gryffindor, but she had no idea where to go.

Charlie was obligingly quiet for the next few minutes as Tonks searched, but the looks he sent towards her scared her almost as much as his declarations of love.

Footsteps alerted Tonks to someone approaching. She shot Charlie a look that would have, under normal circumstances, warned him to keep his mouth shut. However, today she wasn't sure he got the message.

Glancing around and seeing nowhere to hide, she pulled Charlie along down the hall. No use running away. She was almost relieved when she saw two red haired boys round the corner and approach them. They shared a glance and grinned identically.

"Hello." The twins spoke in unison. Tonks wasn't sure she had ever heard one utter a sentence unaccompanied by his brother.

"Wotcher boys." She really did like Charlie's kid brothers, but she wasn't in the mood for a chat right now. She tried to move past the twins while dragging their brother behind her. The twins blocked her path, unwilling to let their prey leave under suspicious circumstances. Especially what with all the rumors already floating around the castle.

"Guys, really, I've got to go. I've got some major potion brewing to do."

Fred and George looked suspicious, and Charlie picked that moment to speak up. "Nymphadora Tonks," he murmured. "You have the most beautiful name in the world." He spoke quietly, but not so that the boys didn't hear him.

Tonks groaned and the twins grinned wickedly. "So it's true then."

"Our dear brother..."

"...Has got himself..."

"...A girlfriend."

Tonks shook her head vigorously. "No! No, no, I'm not his girlfriend! He kind of, um, had a love potion spilled on him."

The twins raised their eyebrows in identical displays of skepticism. Charlie didn't help matters by opening his mouth. "I like your hair this color. It brings out your dark eyes. They're the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen."

Fred and George snickered and batted their eyelashes in mock flirtation. "Love potion, huh?" Fred began.

"Did you try to drown him in it?" George finished.

Tonks glared at them and decided to ignore that last remark. "So you can see why I need to brew the antidote as soon as possible." She looked at Charlie and sighed in frustration. "As soon as I find a place to do it." This last she muttered under her breath, but the twins (who seemed to have a very acute sense of hearing) managed to hear her.

They turned to each other a moment and then back to their brother and his friend. George started this time (at least she guessed it was George), "You need a place to work?"

Tonks nodded absentmindedly, racking her brain for the ideal spot. Fred continued. "We know a place."

"It's this supply room..."

"...On the first floor. Totally unnoticed.."

"...You wouldn't get caught..."

"...We should know..."

"...We use it all the time."

"Wait a second." It always took a moment for her to process when they talked like that. "You have a place where I could work?"

The twins nodded. "Brilliant. Where?"

George (or was it Fred?) told her, "It's on the first floor..."

"...the corridor on the left before the Great Hall..," Fred (or maybe George) said.

Tonks nodded. Seemed straight forward enough. She didn't think she could manage to get lost on her way. "Great." Another thought struck her as she began to hurry off, "How do you guys know about it? And how do know that I won't get caught?"

The twins really had perfected that wicked smirk of theirs. "Just trust us. We'll know if anyone goes there but you."

"How? Never mind. I don't have time for this. See you boys later." Tonks grabbed Charlie by the arm and pushed him ahead of her. He just smiled.

Fred and George said their farewells. "Good luck!" Fred called.

"You'll need it!" His brother added. "Don't let him drool on your robes!" continued Fred (Wait! Wasn't the other one Fred?).

Tonks made a face at the boys as she retreated with Charlie. Left before the Great Hall. It wasn't like she had any better ideas, so she might as well go with the twins' suggestion. As she got closer she wondered what trusting the twins would cost her. Probably nothing more than spilling a love potion on her best friend.


	5. Chapter 5

The supply closet the boys had directed her to was, as they had said, unoccupied and spacious, though from the outside it looked abandoned and cramped. Tonks shoved Charlie in first and overturned a bucket for him to sit on while she explored the room. Thankfully he was willing to accommodate, somewhat quietly. "Have I ever told you I think you're amazing?"

Tonks rolled her eyes even while scanning the shelves. "Not for about three minutes, no." The shelving held dusty jars and bottles and boxes. Nothing that looked particularly helpful in her brewing of a love potion antidote. It looked as though she was going to have to raid Snape's personal stash of ingredients. That should be fun.

"You are," Charlie said simply. "You can change your face and hair to whatever you want." Tonks barely glanced at him. Nothing she didn't already know. She was busy debating whether to ask Snape for supplies. And busy plotting how to get them without arousing suspicion and earning a detention. "But I like the real you best."

Tonks glanced for a longer time at her friend. That was somewhat new. She had never really met a person that liked the real her better. Except for her mother, no one had said they preferred the real her. And certainly not any boys.

But this was Charlie. He was her best friend. He was supposed to say things like that. It didn't really mean anything special.

She shook her head. "I need to go find some ingredients to snap you out of this." She had discovered an old caldron behind some moldy crates. It was dusty and slightly dirty, but she figured it would work. She'd hit it with a good scorgify before brewing anything new. Though her cleaning spells were not the best, nor necessarily safe, Tonks would have to make do with her meager skills in the area of cleanliness. Hopefully nothing in that caldron would end up poisoning him.

"Stay here, will you? I'll be right back. Just try to keep out of trouble, and don't go off and profess your love for me to McGonagall or anything, all right?" Tonks gestured that Charlie should stay where he was. But Charlie was not going to be left behind.

"No! I'm coming with you!"

Tonks groaned. She really didn't have time for this. "Fine! You can come, but you have got to be quiet. You can't go screaming how much you love me or how you like my hair. Got it? Charlie?"

Charlie broke into a grin, the same sappy one that had plastered his face since Potions. "You're beautiful when you're mad."

"That was just cliché. Don't let me regret letting you come." She glared with the force of a spell to make sure he got the point. She still wasn't sure he did.

Tonks and Charlie hurried through the hallways, most of which were deserted as students were working or playing in their common rooms. They did come across more than one snogging couple on their trip to the dungeons. Frankly, it was beyond Tonks why anyone would pick the dungeon as a snogging place.

Tonks only tripped twice on the way to the potions room. Charlie, while he couldn't take his eyes off of her, proved fairly useless in preventing her falls. Eventually they reached their destination with minimal bruising.

The potions room was empty when they arrived. Snape must be working in his office, marking failing grades on their day's assignment. Tonks and Charlie crept silently to the supply closet at the rear of the classroom. If they were lucky, Snape would never know they had been there.

But Tonks was rarely lucky, and as she searched through the various bottles and jars that filled the cupboard, Charlie let out a particularly loud and dreamy sigh. From prior experience today, she knew this action signified a lengthy speech on her unrivaled beauty and his undying love. Thinking quickly and in an attempt to prevent the carrying sound of Charlie's voice, she clamped her hand tightly over his mouth.

Unfortunately, Tonks had forgotten that she had been examining a vial of cobweb dust. The vessel fell from her hand, where it collided with the flagstone floor. The crash was hardly silent. The door to Snape's office creaked open, and the Potions Master stood framed in the dark dungeon, framed in the light from the doorway. He could barely be seen through the rising cloud of cobweb dust. The effect was frightening.

"Ah, Miss Tonks and Mr. Weasley. I suspected as much. Looking for something?" This last word he drew out unnecessarily, filling the quiet of the dungeon. Tonks gulped unconsciously and then hoped her teacher hadn't noticed. Charlie's love choked brain scarcely registered another being in the room.

"We were just fetching some ingredients, Professor."

"Fetching or fracturing, Miss Tonks? Your renowned clumsiness serves well as an alert to your presence. And how is Mr. Weasley faring?"

Charlie simply smiled, his eyes foggy. Snape smirked. "I see. You have failed to brew the correct antidote, then?"

Tonks thrust her chin forward and replied, "I haven't failed anything. I haven't been able to start brewing yet. I came to get the supplies I'll need." She glanced beside her at her friend. He did look worse for wear. "And Charlie will be fine."

Snape sneered down at his pupil. "No doubt your next potion shall be perfection itself. Best get started. You've wasted enough time." And the Potions Master was gone, vanishing with a swirl of cloak and dust through the door.

Tonks glared at the retreating figure. She could swear the man lived to make her life miserable. After a good minute of thinking poisonous thoughts in his direction she brought her mind back to the present. Glancing through chapter fourteen of her Advanced Potions book, she grabbed the supplies she would need. Three bat wings, one gram of dead flies, bubertuber puss, and a kilogram of toad warts. These were the ingredients required of the antidote to amortentia. All to be heated and stirred in the caldron she had commandeered upstairs. Not the most savory of substances. If this didn't make him fall out of love with her, Tonks had no idea what would.


	6. Chapter 6

She carefully carted the potion making components up the stairs and down the corridors. Charlie followed like the love sick puppy he had become. Without managing to break anything, they reached Fred and George's secret hideout.

Tonks set down her plunder and readied her caldron. Charlie hovered over her shoulder, watching her every move like he would the snitch when he played the Quidditch. She turned to glare at him, and ended up feeling sorry for him. It wasn't his fault that he was drooling over her. It was hers.

She sighed. Why did it have to be Charlie? Then again, the only other person near enough to be caught in the onslaught was Snape. Thank Merlin it wasn't Snape! However, having the Potions Master declare his undying love for her would have proved amusing, even if it would have given her nightmares for the rest of her life. She just hoped her friend would forgive her when this was all over.

And so Tonks began to work. After a few minutes of putting up with Charlie's close proximity, she forced him to sit on the overturned crate out of her way. She put more effort into this potion than she ever had before, willing it to succeed. She added the kilogram of toad warts slowly, stirred counter clockwise three times, poured in the dead flies, let it simmer for forty minutes, stirred for ten minutes in a clockwise direction, dropped in the three bat wings at four minute intervals , and let it sit for exactly thirty eight seconds before removing the heat.

When she was done, she was thoroughly exhausted. She filled a vial with her finished product. It was a somewhat frightening green color, reminding Tonks of a Slytherin tie. She was apprehensive about giving it to Charlie. He had remained fairly quiet throughout the making of the antidote. He interrupted with the occasional, "I love you.", "Will you come to Hogsmeade with me?", and sometimes the more drastic, "Will you stay with me forever?"

At one point he had tried to compose poetry, getting as far as:

Your eyes glitter like the snitch,

Your hair is the color of McGonagall's face when she gives us detention

Or the color of our blue Herbology books

Or the color of sunshine or of Mrs Norris' eyes

That was a far as she let him get, figuring it would get no more romantic with time. If it wasn't so horrible that her best mate was serenading her with his attempt at poetry, it would have been quite comical.

As it was, it was just frightening. Tonks wanted her friend back. But she was still hesitant to force feed him the potion she had concocted. What if it didn't work? Or worse, what if she had done something wrong?

But what choice did she have? This potion was her very best work, and when Tonks tried her hardest the results were usually good.

She grasped the vial carefully and turned to Charlie. "I'm gonna need you to drink this, all right, mate?" Charlie sat on the upturned crate, grinning ear to ear and humming softly a bit off key.

Tonks handed him the steaming vial and prayed it wouldn't end up hurting him. Charlie examined its contents briefly before raising it in a kind of salute. "Bottoms up." And for a moment he looked almost like his normal self. Then he ruined the effect by adding a last, "I love you."

And he brought the glass to his lips and downed the green gray liquid. Then he began to splutter and and cough. Tonks rushed towards him and managed to stumble over his crate bringing them both to the floor. She sat hurriedly up. The storeroom was quiet for a moment, and then she heard the familiar chuckle reach her ears. Oh great, I made a Rictemsempra potion.


	7. Chapter 7

Charlie lay sprawled on the floor of an unfamiliar closet. He had been sitting a moment before and then Tonks had approached. He couldn't help but laugh. That girl was a disaster waiting to happen.

He looked at her, and she appeared so shocked that he laughed harder. Finally she joined him in his mirth. When the two friends had stopped cackling, Charlie began to wonder aloud. "Tonks, what just happened? We were in Potions, and you crashed into the table, and ... I don't remember anything else." He reflected on what he did remember. Had he blacked out? It wouldn't be the first time Tonks had managed to injure someone other than herself. But he wasn't in the Hospital Wing, just some dingy basement room.

At his words, a grin leapt to her face. Then it slowly faded and was replaced by a sheepishly guilty expression. "Looks like you're okay now. Um, I might have accidentally spilled a bit of potion on you when I crashed into that table."

Charlie sent her a wary glance. "What type of potion?" He didn't remember what they had been making in Potions, but if Tonks made it, no one should be bathed in it. He didn't feel any suspicious burns or cuts, but still.

Tonks blushed and began to twirl a pink lock between two fingers, a sure sign that she was nervous or embarrassed. "Um, well, not anything I made. Snape made it. It was ... um ... Amortentia."

Amortentia? The most powerful love potion known to wizard kind? This could not have been good. "You spilled love potion on me?" He was rather shocked, but that didn't keep him from adding, "On purpose?"

The guilty expression vanished and was replaced by an indignant one. "Of course not on purpose! You think I wanted my best mate to act like a blithering idiot, professing his love to the first person he sees?"

Charlie flushed the same color as his hair. "Who did I see?" he asked tentatively, almost afraid to hear her answer.

Tonks still looked insulted, but the embarrassment shone through again. "Um, you saw ... me." Her blush was now competing with her hair for the brightest color on her head.

Charlie felt his jaw drop. The one girl he liked was the one he had seen when doped up on love potion. Brilliant. What had he said or done? Anything that would embarrass him for the rest of his life? Anything that would jeopardize his chances of a date with Tonks?

"What did I do?"

Tonks laughed. "You'd rather not know. Let's just say, it'll be a while before the school forgets this episode of Tonks' clumsiness."

That could not be good, but Tonks was right. He didn't want to know. "Well, can we get out of this broom closet? I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Near death by love potion certainly gives you an appetite."

Tonks grinned at her friend and Charlie felt his heart lift. He still had to ask her to Hogsmeade tomorrow.

"You're always hungry, Weasley. But brewing a love potion antidote is also exhausting, so let's go see what we can find to eat."

The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were a little late to dinner, but there were still a few stragglers eating. They piled their plates high and sat together at a center table. When both had curbed their hunger, they began to talk about the days events.

"At one point you tried to serenade me with song and poetry. Here's a friendly tip: I wouldn't try out for the school choir anytime soon." She smirked at him and gave a reminiscing shudder.

Charlie couldn't resist sticking his tongue out at her, even though he knew she was right. "So what did you smell? In the Amortentia?" One effect of the love potion was the smell it offered to its users. Its aroma was different to each person depending on what they were attracted to. Charlie was hesitant to ask, but he did anyway.

While he didn't remember most of his potion induced stupor, he did remember the fragrance he had smelled. It had been a blend of spilled ink and the fruity perfume she wore. There were other scents there of course, but he had focused on the ones he recognized. And they had been her.

Tonks tilted her head to the side and rested her chin on her hand as she chewed absent-mindedly while thinking. She swallowed and began to answer. "I smelled...chocolate."

Charlie laughed, "And you say I'm the one who's always hungry." Chocolate was good. But just about everyone he knew liked chocolate, maybe it wasn't him she had smelled.

Tonks ignored him and continued, "Honeyduke's chocolate. And books."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Books? You sure?" Tonks wasn't exactly the most studious of students, and the library was rarely her first stop.

She didn't even look at him. That spot on the ceiling must be incredibly fascinating. "Yeah. Not like books books, but more like a storybook. You know, an big thick adventure storybook, not some dusty History of Magic textbook."

Charlie wasn't convinced. Tonks wasn't a big reader. Neither was he. It definitely wasn't him she had smelled in the love potion.

But Tonks wasn't done yet. "And...maybe it was a dog."

"A dog? Do you even like dogs?"

She finally faced him. "Yes, I like dogs! I don't know, but it reminded me of this big black stray my dad and I once found. Weird, huh?"

So Amortentia had caused Tonks to smell a chocolate loving bookworm with a dog. Definitely not Charlie Weasley. Brilliant.

But that was okay. She might like other things too. Like Gryffindor Quidditch Seekers, maybe? If he was going to ask her, he had better do it now. "Yeah, weird. Hey, Tonks?" He did briefly consider calling her Nymphadora.

"Hmm?"

Charlie gulped and hoped she didn't hear it. Holy Hippogriffs, this was a lot harder than he thought it would be. "Um, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

Her brow furrowed at his behavior and Charlie knew he wasn't getting away with anything. He looked just as uncomfortable as he felt. "Well, yeah, it's Hogsmeade. Course I'm going."

She was going, so far so good. "Do you want to go, um, with me?"

It took a moment before she started to smile. "Why wouldn't I, Weasley. We go to Hogsmeade together all the time."

Charlie had taken the smile as a good sign, but he was rethinking that now. "That's not what I meant," he managed. Tonks' eyebrow crept upward beneath her pink bangs. "I meant...do you want to go with me, like...on a date?"

It was quiet, and Charlie held his breath until he felt sure his ears were turning red. Actually his ears had probably been red with embarrassment for a while now. The silence was finally broken by the sound of Tonks' laughter. Not the sound he was hoping to hear.

"A date? You're asking me on a date to Hogsmeade? I think some of that Amortentia is still in your system," she sniggered.

She thought it was a joke, some residual effect of the love potion. All of his planning and Gryffindor bravery had come down to this. And what could he do but try to laugh along?

She was still chuckling as she pulled him to his feet. "Come on, Weasley. I think you've had enough romance for one day." He let her lead him from the Great Hall as far as the stairwell to the Gryffindor common room, only having to stop and help her up once.

"Get some rest," she told him. "Maybe it takes twenty-four hours to wear off completely. I'll see you in Hogsmeade tomorrow."

Charlie's spirits lifted slightly. She would still come? "As a date?"

Tonks laughed again, not realizing what he was asking. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about that. We'll go as friends like we always do. See you!"

Tonks skipped, or more accurately tripped, away to Hufflepuff and Charlie stood silently outside of Gryffindor. She had misunderstood yet again. His hopes were dashed, as were any chance he stood with Tonks as more than friends.

He shook his head slowly, still unsure about what to do. What he could do. He turned to the Fat Lady and said the password, which oddly enough he remembered and happened to be Amor. That was poetic.

The Fat Lady smiled sympathetically at him as he walked through the passage. Upon entering the common room he was accosted by two red haired boys.

"How've you been, big brother?"

"Heard you fancy Tonks."

"Course she did spill a love potion on you."

"Don't figure you minded though."

Charlie steered the twins aside and headed for an armchair. It had been an exhausting day, and he was pretty sure he had homework, though it wasn't likely he would do any of it tonight. He should probably be in the Hospital Wing as it was.

"Get out of here, boys. I'm not really in the mood."

Fred and George were undeterred. "Sure it was love potion she spilled on you?" one asked.

That statement did confuse him. "What do you mean by that?"

The other twin answered, "Sure it wasn't Veritserum instead?"

Charlie looked away into the common room fireplace. Truth serum instead of love potion. They had meant it as a joke, but the two potions would have had the same effect. He stared at the dancing flames until the twins left him alone with his thoughts.

What might have been his one shot of a date with Nymphadora Tonks had been crushed by the involvement of a love potion. He made a mental note to avoid all such potions in the future. But had Amortentia ever actually worked for anybody? If only Tonks had drenched him in Liquid Luck.


End file.
